FORMER Vietnamese refugees who fled to Scotland to escape the violence and hunger of war have returned to the village where they were first given sanctuary to thank its residents.
Around 30 men and women travelled back to Carnwath in South Lanarkshire where they unveiled a plaque in tribute to the people who took them into the heart of their community.
Up to 1500 refugees from Vietnam arrived in Scotland in the 1970s and 80s as about two million people fled the country in the aftermath of the country’s civil war.
Collectively, they became known internationally as the Boat People because of the large and overcrowded ships on which they left.
The UK Government agreed to offer sanctuary to 10,000 refugees and the first of those to be sent to Scotland arrived in Edinburgh on September 26, 1979. Some were initially accommodated at the former Kersewell College on the edge of Carnwath, one of four settlement centres north of the Border.
The refugees spent 13 weeks in the Carnwath centre as they got accustomed to their new country.
As they settled in, local people launched a welcome campaign, opening their hearts and homes to their new neighbours after becoming moved by their plight.
The refugees then went on to settle in Lanarkshire and other parts of Scotland, starting new lives, findings jobs and opening businesses.
Four decades on, in a gesture of gratitude and friendship, the memorial plaque, funded by the Vietnamese community, was unveiled at Carnwath Golf Club ahead of United Nations World Refugee Day today.
Trung Lem was among those who returned to Carnwath to mark the occasion and meet up with old friends. He settled in Scotland, working in the electricity, gas and water industries for 30 years, before becoming an independent contractor working in business intelligence.
He said: “We have never forgotten the warmth of welcome we were given by the people of Carnwath. Their friendship gave us hope and helped the Vietnamese community build a new life here.”
The provost of SNP-led South Lanarkshire, Ian McAllan, said: “It was an honour to unveil the plaque and a deeply moving experience. This is a touching story of hope, community and friendship. It reveals the best of humanity and the strength of bonds created by kindness.”
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